Given in the last couple of years we have had and will have several nice articulated steamers to choose from what would be the next likely candidate? And what would you personnally like to see? For me it would be the Allegheny and the C&O 2-8-8-2.
For reasons that are obvious I'd like to see this in N scale: The Allegheny would appeal to me as well as VGN had a few. Mark
Logical choices would be for Intermountain to do a few other yellowstone variations with the cab and tender in the right place. (B&O EM-1, DM&IR M-3/M-4, NP Z-5) Unfortuantely, logic doesn't often enter into the equation. A N&W A or NP Z7/Z8 based on a Challenger mech would be another "logical" choice. There really isn't much that hasn't been done in plastic. 2-6-6-2 - Bachmann C&O H-5 2-6-6-4 - NONE (N&W A class) 2-6-6-6 - NONE (C&O H-8) 2-8-8-0 - Concor/RR foobie Y-6 with rear truck removed 2-8-8-2 - Concor/RR NW Y-6, Walthers Lifelike Y-3, Atlas USRA 2-8-8-4 - NONE (B&O EM-1, DM&IR, NP) 4-6-6-4 - Concor/RR Challenger, Athearn Challenger 4-8-8-2 - Intermountain AC-12 on the way 4-8-8-4 - Concor/RR Challenger, Athearn Challenger Personally, I would like to see a lighter 2-8-8-2 done that I could use to recreate the B&O EL series of loco's. The Walthers Y-3 in it's new form might fit that bill.
Uintah narrow gauge Mallet in both Uintah livery and as altered for the Sumpter Valley Railway... in Nn3. To be fair, Republic Locomotive Works has a kit for using on a Maerklin chassis. I would be happy if someone came up with a cheaper alternative to hacking up a Maerklin loco.
I would love some C&O H-7's and H-8's in plastic. I would also like someone to make a SAL 2-6-6-4 R1.
I dunno what to wish for, as I'm rather broke now, and cannot afford a high-dollar steamer! I would like to see Athearn release a 800-class FEF-3 in UP, as they have in HO scale.
I agree that something like this would be good. From a sales perspective, doing locos that were used in excursion service increases the number of potential buyers.
My vote would be any of the NP's Z's, Given that my line never saw them, I would still like to have one. it would be fairly easy with all the challenger drives out there.
How is the old rivarossi chassis anyways? dependable? I had the thought to try to modify a GHQ kit to fit the new athearns Challenger, but I just don't have that kind of money. and the wife would murder me.
I agree with SteamDonkey74, I'd love to see a logging Mallet in standard or narrow gauge. Even more unlikely, an Nn3 South African Beyer-Garratt would be awesome!
If anyone does an Nn3 Garratt I'd vote for the Queensland Railways version, IMHO a much nicer looking engine than the South African one. While too early an era to fit in with my modelling (though I'd still buy them), how about some of Santa Fe's articulateds, 2-10-10-2 Cajon Pass helpers, 4-4-6-2 passenger power and 2-8-8-2 freight engines with flexible boilers. Then I'd also go for some of the nonarticulated power we haven't got, ie; 4-6-0's, 4-4-2's, 2-6-2's, 2-10-0's to name a few. I won't hold my breath waiting for any of the above though.
I would LOVE one of these. I know that they are available in HO, but I don't know of any N ones being currently manufactured.
I remotored the the RR Challenger and will put a sound decoder and speaker in the tender. The Rivarossi I am using is from the last run and was in great shape. The chassis are usually dependable except for the motor which should be replaced. I don't know if the GHQ kit will fit the Athearn Challenger chassis. I had to ream out the shell of the GHQ boiler because of the new motor to get the GHQ shell to seat properly.
